How to Identify Copper Grades: Bare Bright, #1, #2, and More
Published 11 March 2026
Copper comes in several scrap grades, each with a different price per kg. Here is how to tell them apart at home before you visit the yard.
Correctly identifying your copper grade before visiting a scrap yard puts money in your pocket. Yards assess grade on the spot, and if you present a mixed or unclear load, they will grade it down to the lowest quality present.
Bare Bright Copper (Highest Grade)
Bare Bright is the premium copper grade. It must be clean, uncoated copper wire with no insulation, solder, paint, or corrosion. The wire must be at least 1.5mm in diameter. It is bright and shiny orange-pink in colour.
Expected price: £4.80–£5.00/kg.
Copper #1 (Millberry)
Copper #1 includes clean copper pipe, tubes, bus bars, and clean clippings with no solder, paint, or fittings attached. Old plumbing pipe with push-fit connectors removed is often graded here.
Expected price: £4.40–£4.70/kg.
Copper #2
Copper #2 includes copper with minor contamination — solder joints, small amounts of paint, light oxidation, or fittings. Old radiator pipes with fittings still attached are a typical example.
Expected price: £4.00–£4.30/kg.
Copper Tanks & Cylinders
Hot water cylinders and storage tanks from domestic plumbing. Remove insulation jackets and foam wrap before presenting to the yard.
Expected price: £3.80–£4.20/kg.
Insulated Wire Grade 1
Thick single-core insulated cable such as mains wiring. Grade 1 insulated wire contains approximately 60–65% copper by weight. Do not strip thin wire — the stripping cost exceeds the grade premium.
Expected price: £2.00–£2.80/kg.
Insulated Wire Grade 2
Multicore or mixed thin insulated wire — telephone cable, computer cable, extension leads. Lower copper content (35–50% by weight) means a lower price per kg.
Expected price: £1.20–£1.80/kg.
Tips for Maximising Your Copper Payout
1. Strip large cable — for wire thicker than 6mm, stripping to Bare Bright is worth the effort.
2. Remove all fittings — push-fit plastic connectors reduce the grade.
3. Keep grades separate — present each grade in separate bags or bundles.
4. Weigh before you go — use bathroom scales to estimate your expected payout at each grade.